Congress dimension

Lanzarote Convention

From “ONE in FIVE”
to “NONE of FIVE”: why do we need to focus on data?

The lack of effective
prevention policies remains the main challenge to the
elimination of sexual violence against children. Not
knowing the real extent of sexual violence due to a lack
of reliable data has resulted in poor prevention
strategies.

Because most people
underestimate the extent of the problem, the Council of
Europe ONE in FIVE campaign uses an estimate as an
effective base-line study tool to motivate governments,
parliaments, child professionals and parents to take the
urgent action needed to prevent sexual violence, protect
children and prosecute offenders.

Effective prevention policies also depend on the
accuracy and quality of data. This is why Council of
Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against
Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote
Convention) requires countries to set up
“mechanisms for data collection or focal points, at
national or local levels and in collaboration with civil
society, for the purpose of observing and evaluating the
phenomenon sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of
children, with due respect for the requirements of
personal data protection" (Article 10).

One of the specific aims of the Council of Europe's ONE
in FIVE campaign is to push countries to finance
research on the extent of sexual violence so that they
can adapt their prevention and protection policies
accordingly. The ultimate goal is clearly to reach a
“None of Five” figure.